POST MEDIEVAL TOY

1600

A copper-alloy miniature toy musket of post-Medieval date.The barrel has a hollow bore of 4mm and the outer surface of the barrel is faceted, with two pairs of grooves extending across its top. The downward-angling handle is also faceted; at its base it steps upwards, terminating in a 'fishtail-shaped' butt. The rectangular trigger guard (there is no trigger) is located on the underside, straddling the handle and butt. At the handle end of the barrel there is a circular pan for the priming powder and a rectangular moulding on the side.Dimensions: total length: 88.3mm; length of bore: 55mm. Weight: 21.48g.Similar toy muskets were found in London and are illustrated and discussed by Egan and Forsyth (2005: 88-97). According to the authors, the fishtail-shaped butt seen on all of these pieces is found on standard English muskets of the period 1600-1640, although the toys may have been made over a longer period (ibid. 89-90).